Karnataka Seeks Over Rs 20,000 Crore in Central Drought Relief

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara has written separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking the urgent release of 20,585.73 crore rupees in drought relief assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund.

Severity

Speaking in Bengaluru on October 20, Mr. Parameshwara stated that Karnataka faced a 35% rainfall deficit during the 2026 southwest monsoon, receiving 551 mm against the normal 852 mm, marking the second-lowest seasonal rainfall since 1956 and the seventh-lowest since 1901. The State has declared a drought in 226 taluks, with crop damage spread over 57.93 lakh hectares and an estimated economic loss of 62,481.88 crore rupees.

Breakdown

The State's memorandum asks for 6,128.70 crore rupees for crop loss input subsidy, 12,146.99 crore rupees for gratuitous relief to 61.91 lakh small and marginal farmers, 1,727 crore rupees for drinking water supply, and 583.04 crore rupees for livestock protection. Mr. Parameshwara also urged the Centre to use Karnataka's updated FRUITS database instead of the outdated Agricultural Census 2015-16 data to prevent a shortfall of roughly 1,669.50 crore rupees. Additionally, he requested 427.20 crore rupees under PM POSHAN for schoolchildren's meals during summer vacations and 70.96 crore rupees under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme.

Context

State governments often rely on central disaster relief funds when widespread natural calamities overwhelm local financial resources. Inter-Ministerial Central Teams typically visit affected regions to assess ground conditions before relief amounts are finalized by high-level committees.